A Queensland study found that people with clustered moles on the back face a higher risk of in situ melanoma. The finding may shape future screening for high-risk groups.
A single patch of skin can carry a statistical signal. Researchers studying a Queensland cohort of high-risk melanoma patients found that the way moles arrange themselves on a person's back — clustered together rather than spread evenly — correlates with a greater likelihood of in situ melanoma, according to findings published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
The work builds on earlier modelling developed by Chousakos et al. (2022), who analysed melanoma and nevus distribution patterns across the backs of 311 high-risk patients aged 30 to 49 in New York. That study identified what researchers termed 'clustering' and 'dispersion' phenotypes — objective, statistically derived descriptions of how melanocytic nevi position themselves on the skin. Chousakos et al. reported significant clustering in their cohort.
The Queensland group, led by Jayasinghe et al. (2023), applied comparable modelling to their own high-risk population. Their analysis found that the clustering phenotype — moles grouped non-randomly in particular zones of the back — was associated with in situ melanoma, the earliest detectable stage of the disease, where abnormal cells remain confined to the outer layer of skin.
Why spatial pattern may matter
Most clinical screening focuses on the appearance of individual moles: their size, border, colour, and change over time. This research suggests that the geography of moles across a body region may carry independent diagnostic information. If mole clustering can be reliably identified, it could help clinicians prioritise which patients warrant closer or more frequent surveillance, the study indicated.
The relevance for people with albinism is direct. Reduced melanin does not eliminate the formation of melanocytic nevi, and the absence of protective pigmentation places the skin under sustained UV pressure. Skin cancer risk in people with albinism remains significantly elevated, according to the World Health Organization, with melanoma and other skin cancers representing a leading cause of early mortality in equatorial regions where sun protection is least accessible.
Research that refines how clinicians read skin — moving beyond individual lesion assessment toward whole-surface pattern recognition — could, over time, improve early detection in populations where every diagnostic advantage counts.
The study was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The full dataset and supplementary modelling are available in the original paper.
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